It is a taiwanese shock, and as scary as that might sound they seem to be holding up pretty good. They ran them last year on a couple of their bikes. Seal kits are available and some Kona dealers may even stock them. Rebound adjust and lock out and preload adjustements.

Apparently, no manual. You can post on the Kona tech forum for info you need.

I have two issues with the AF2 on my 2011 Kona Tanuki Deluxe. Is anyone else running into a problem where:

1) The rear lockout flips back to locked? If I remove the valve cap my lockout will move far enough to stay in place, but with the cap, it easily bounces back to locked on mediums hits.

2) Or, any issues with front derailleur adjustment or sag setting? Kona suggests body weight for PSI but at 120 PSI (40 PSI under body weight) or more I get very little sag. So little, that the chain sits/rubs across the bottom of the derailleur cage in all but the 3 largest rear gears. How is everyone else dealing with this?

2) Or, any issues with front derailleur adjustment or sag setting? Kona suggests body weight for PSI but at 120 PSI (40 PSI under body weight) or more I get very little sag. So little, that the chain sits/rubs across the bottom of the derailleur cage in all but the 3 largest rear gears. How is everyone else dealing with this?

Normally on a 130mm bike I would run about 30% sag. To set your bike up I would ignore the "recommended" setting and try 30% sag. It's not a bad idea to let most of the air out first and see how far the shock compresses so you know about what 30% is.

to set sag just hop on the bike and bounce a few times, then stop bouncing and push the o-ring up, gently get off the bike and just eyeball 30%. from there I would just play around with pressure during a ride to get what feels best to you. It's not an exact science, you are the final "decider" of whats the best pressure.

It seems the shock needed to be used a few times before it started to behave correctly. It's possible that I was doing something wrong initially but that seems unlikely. Anyway, Things are well there now.

I was able to remove the lockout and install it upside down so that it doesn't interfere with the valve. It seems to be more stable that way too and I've only bumped it a couple times since flipping it.

I have been looking at the Tanuki DL on Department of Goods / Chainlove, and the price point is just too good to be true. Im curious about your thoughts on the bike.

How long have you had it, and how much riding have you done? Any complaints / issues other than the shock issues? What is your sizing?

I appreciate any thoughts / opinions / info you have. Im just not finding too much in the way of reviews on these bikes, but they are specced so nicely for the $ !! And the Kona name, quality, warranty is all good with me.

I was looking for a solid frame with good geometry/suspension design and a lifetime warranty but didn't want to spend much money to get it. The reviews I could find were consistently positive on all those points. The reviews were mixed on the components but I figured that was based on retail price. The way I see it for 50% off retail, I'll just upgrade along the way. In fact, I already have: X9 RD/shifter (XT got damaged last week), 1x9 config with 11-36 cassette, KMC chain, bash guard, WTB gel grips, cut 2" off bars.

I'm 5' 6" ~29" inseam which puts me in the middle of Kona's range for a 17". Since my inseam is shorter than average and I was still in range for a 16", and I prefer smaller over larger frames, I got the 16" and don't regret it. The bike fits me perfectly with the seat centered on the rails and only a small offset seat post.

I probably only have 100 miles or so total on the bike so look for Kona threads here and ask for more reviews. But, based on the riding so far I don't expect to have any issues I won't just upgrade and still come out ahead.

FWIW, the bike looks sharp. That's not a huge thing for me, but it's a plus.

Kona service has been excellent. Needed help with several things already. Posted on Kona tech forum and response within 24 hours.

FAstrax problem

I am having issues with my fastrax shock on my 11' kona tanuki dl. Just bought it from hucknroll last month. i let all the air out, then repressured it. went on a short ride downt eh street and now the shock isn't returning to full position even with 150+psi. think it may be the coil inside? does this mean it is defective or is there a fix for this?

I am having issues with my fastrax shock on my 11' kona tanuki dl. Just bought it from last month. i let all the air out, then repressured it. went on a short ride downt eh street and now the shock isn't returning to full position even with 150+psi. think it may be the coil inside? does this mean it is defective or is there a fix for this?

Sounds to me like the shock is stuck down (air bypassed a seal and now it can't extend the piston fully). Did you compress the shock with no air in it?

Shouldn't have anything to do with rebound. Rebound simply alters the rate at which the shock returns from compressed to extended. It does not affect overall travel length.

Only way to deal with a stuck down shock is to disassemble it and service it. Frankly I don't know of anyone who services Fastrax shocks, so you will probably need to replace it.

I agree it shouldn't have anything to do with rebound but I own this shock and saw it happen. My shock was stuck down. I rotated my rebound (with some effort) one click and the shock started moving back into position.

I agree it shouldn't have anything to do with rebound but I own this shock and saw it happen. My shock was stuck down. I rotated my rebound (with some effort) one click and the shock started moving back into position.

I experienced the same thing on my wife's tanuki. Her shock also need to be run at very low (~70 psi) to have any sag). Hopefully this will improve with break in.

Sh4wn, when you flipped the lockout lever, did you just loosen the holding screw, move the lever and rescrew?

Apparently, no manual. You can post on the Kona tech forum for info you need.

I have two issues with the AF2 on my 2011 Kona Tanuki Deluxe. Is anyone else running into a problem where:

1) The rear lockout flips back to locked? If I remove the valve cap my lockout will move far enough to stay in place, but with the cap, it easily bounces back to locked on mediums hits.

2) Or, any issues with front derailleur adjustment or sag setting? Kona suggests body weight for PSI but at 120 PSI (40 PSI under body weight) or more I get very little sag. So little, that the chain sits/rubs across the bottom of the derailleur cage in all but the 3 largest rear gears. How is everyone else dealing with this?

I have had the same issue with my Tanuki locking out on it's own. At first I thought it I was hitting the lever by accident, but I did notice the lever wiggling back and forth while the suspension cycled.

As for the front derailleur--I found getting it to work properly was a total PITA. I was going to just alleviate the Alivio with a SLX but I found that by replacing the large chainring with a bash guard (mostly as a safety precaution for the wife) I was able to lower the position of the FD. That actually made a difference and makes the Alivio somewhat tolerable--for now.

same issues with lockout

Originally Posted by Nandus

I have had the same issue with my Tanuki locking out on it's own. At first I thought it I was hitting the lever by accident, but I did notice the lever wiggling back and forth while the suspension cycled.

I am having the same issue with my lockout. I would be midway, if not done my rides when I would notice the lockout would click on its own and I'd be riding hardtail. Before my last ride, i would have to turn the lockout all the way south position to hold the full suspension setting, but after last ride, i can't seem to turn the lockout off at all. Regardless of where I turn the lockout, it's stuck on being locked and won't go back. It has been frustrating. I was going to take to my LBS for a tuneup to see what they thought.

Do I just have to do what I read earlier and remove screw and try and turn lockout off?

I am having the same issue with my lockout. I would be midway, if not done my rides when I would notice the lockout would click on its own and I'd be riding hardtail. Before my last ride, i would have to turn the lockout all the way south position to hold the full suspension setting, but after last ride, i can't seem to turn the lockout off at all. Regardless of where I turn the lockout, it's stuck on being locked and won't go back. It has been frustrating. I was going to take to my LBS for a tuneup to see what they thought.

Do I just have to do what I read earlier and remove screw and try and turn lockout off?

I wouldn't touch the shock. Bring the bike back to your LBS as soon as you can. You may end up voiding the warranty.

BTW, my third shock has started to leak oil (I went though two of these shocks so far). Shopping for a new shock (Fox, Rockshox) at this time. I love the bike, but hate the shock. I would have gladly paid and extra couple hundred bucks for a bike with a better shock if I knew this was going to happen.

I wouldn't touch the shock. Bring the bike back to your LBS as soon as you can. You may end up voiding the warranty.

BTW, my third shock has started to leak oil (I went though two of these shocks so far). Shopping for a new shock (Fox, Rockshox) at this time. I love the bike, but hate the shock. I would have gladly paid and extra couple hundred bucks for a bike with a better shock if I knew this was going to happen.

So I bought a small 1/16th i think allen wrench and was going to try and flip the lockout switch like others said. It turned out that the screw was loose and causing the switch to not turn off. So I tightened it up tightly and was able to switch the lockout off. Solved my problem.

I too was looking at picking up a fox fork from ebay, let me know what you decide or what fits. I was going to look up dimensions to see what's compatible, but haven't got there yet. I don't trust that rear shock at all. I prob will pick something up as a backup until it ceases to work.

So I bought a small 1/16th i think allen wrench and was going to try and flip the lockout switch like others said. It turned out that the screw was loose and causing the switch to not turn off. So I tightened it up tightly and was able to switch the lockout off. Solved my problem.

I too was looking at picking up a fox fork from ebay, let me know what you decide or what fits. I was going to look up dimensions to see what's compatible, but haven't got there yet. I don't trust that rear shock at all. I prob will pick something up as a backup until it ceases to work.

The rear shock size is 7.5" x 2.0" on the Tanuki. I verified this with Kona's tech support.

Had the same issue on my '12 Tanuki Deluxe with the screw loosening itself and the shock locking itself and then not being able to unlock. Tightened the screw and was then able to get it to release but suspect it will end up happening again. Anyone upgraded and have a recommendation?